I wanted to bring up a question/area of discussion that might be worth exploring sometime in the future. Last year I purchased The Gospel In Every Book of the Old Testament by Joseph Farah. I have heard many pastors tell me that every book of the Bible can lead you back to Jesus somehow, and I wanted to see how exactly that could be formulated in the Old Testament.

Within the second chapter, I became extremely frustrated. In a nutshell, Farah claims that anytime you see God in the Old Testament, Jesus is there also. Or in his words, “each and every time human beings hear directly from God, see God, meet with God, make covenants with God, experience God’s presence, and witness His miracles, it is the Mediator, the One we know as Jesus… whom they encounter.”

Farah goes on to say it was Jesus who led the Israelites out of Egypt and when Moses saw the burning bush, he was talking with Jesus. I don’t think I need to go into explanation as to why this is ridiculously confusing and nonsensical. I’ve been seeking out people to discuss this with at my church, but no one has provided me with much guidance. Everyone seems to recall how John said Jesus was there at the beginning of creation, and so no one seems to disagree with this claim that Farah makes.

I think this brings up a larger issue I see with the doctrine of the trinity. It is so entrenched in protestant brains, influenced by John’s gospel, that they’re unable to think critically. And this seems to lead to people reading the Old Testament and thinking you can simply replace God with Jesus since the Father and Son are one (John 10:30).

My hunch is that this is a case of exegesis gone wrong. But I do not have a background in biblical scholarship. I’m just a believer who cares deeply about thinking critically. Would you guys be able to offer your opinion of this kind of interpretation?